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USGA MEN'S STATE TEAM

Iowa First-Round Leader At Men's State Team
September 29, 2014
By Scott Lipsky, USGA

FRENCH LICK, Ind. – A 2-under-par 70 from 2013 U.S. Mid-Amateur champion Michael McCoy was complemented by a 1-under 71 performance from teammate Gene Elliott on Tuesday to give Iowa a two-stroke lead over Florida, Virginia and Louisiana following the first round of the 2014 USGA Men’s State Team Championship at the par-72, 6,891-yard Pete Dye Course at French Lick Resort.

The championship is conducted biennially by the United States Golf Association. The men’s and women’s competitions are held in alternating years. Each state is responsible for selecting its team and the players must reside in that state to be eligible. All 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico are represented in the 2014 field.The Men’s State Team Championship consists of 54 holes of stroke play, with the two lowest of three individual scores counting as the team total for the round. The team with the lowest aggregate score following the final round is the champion.

Iowa, which finished second in 2012, posted a first-round score of 3-under 141. Elliott is the only member of the 2012 squad who is competing this year.

J.D. [Anderson] is a really good player and Mike is probably the best mid-amateur in the country, so if I can make some birdies and contribute, I think we should be a pretty strong team. I’m just trying to hold up my part, said Elliott, who birdied the first two holes of his round and was 3 under through seven before making four bogeys on the next eight holes. It’s kind of a nerve-wracking golf course. You’re not sure where to hit it at times. You’ve got to hit it where you’re looking or it’s going to be a long day. A big number can snap up at any time on this golf course, it’s a little scary.

McCoy, competing in his seventh Men’s State Team, had an up-and-down round, carding five birdies to three bogeys. He was 1 over on his round before closing with three birdies in his last seven holes.

I hit a couple of good iron shots and hit it pretty straight, and that’s big out here, said McCoy, the low amateur at this year’s U.S. Senior Open. You have to be in play [here]. If you hit it out of the fairway, you’re going to have a bad stance, because there’s such severe slope.

Anderson, who represented Iowa in the 2005 Men’s State Team, shot a non-counting 77.

Brandon Aydlett, of Louisiana fired a 4-under 32 on his inward nine en route to a 4-under 68, matching Virginia’s Justin Young for the low score of the day among individuals. After an uneven start to his round, Aydlett, found a variety of ways to score coming in. He made a 30-foot birdie putt on No. 10 and then hit a pair of stellar iron shots on Nos. 12 and 13. He knocked his approach to the par-4 12th to 4 feet before nearly holing his tee shot on the par-3 13th. He made a 15-foot putt for birdie on No. 15 and two-putted the par-5 18th hole for his seventh birdie of the round.

I think I started getting a little more comfortable with the lines on the back nine, with the course being as narrow as it is, said Aydlett, of Metairie, who competed in his first USGA championship earlier this month at the U.S. Mid-Amateur. I was able to keep it in the fairway and give myself some scoring opportunities. I just hung in there and felt like I was driving the ball well. I knew I could be a little more aggressive with my putts and could break out [on the inward nine].

Aydlett’s 68 propelled Louisiana to a team score of 1-under 143, with John Talley’s 3-over 75 as the second counting score. Patrick Christovich, who reached the quarterfinals of the 2014 U.S. Mid-Amateur, posted a non-scoring 79.

A late rally buoyed Young, who began his round on the inward nine. Playing in his first USGA championship, he made three straight birdies on Nos. 6-8, and along with Scott Shingler’s 75, Virginia shot 143. Virgina won the inaugural Men’s State Team in 1995. Florida also matched Louisiana and Virginia, thanks to a 2-under 70 from 17-year-old Sam Horsfield. While the Sunshine State has never claimed a MST title, it has finished runner-up twice, most recently in 2010. Fellow 17-year-old Gabriel Lench added a 1-over 73 Florida.

Horsfield, a semifinalist in the 2014 U.S. Junior Amateur, went out in 2-under 34, and shot even par on the inward nine despite a pair of three-putt bogeys. He put an exclamation point on his round with a 20-foot birdie putt on No. 18.

I just didn’t make as many putts on the back nine as I did on the front nine, but overall I played good and I’m happy with my round, said Horsfield. [The course] doesn’t reward long players. Where the bunkers are placed, you have to either hit it short of them or take on some long carries.

Missouri, Tennessee and Texas are tied for fifth after shooting even-par 144.

West Virginia’s Sam O’Dell, a dentist who played collegiate golf at Marshall University, was the third player to post a sub-70 score, firing a 3-under 69 that included five birdies. His score helped West Virginia to a share of eighth place at 1-over 145.

Defending champion New York, which arrived at French Lick with three different players from 2012, is in a tie for 15th at 148, with Sam Bernstein and Jim Scorse each posting rounds of 2-over 74.

Host state Indiana, looking to improve on its high finish of a tie for third in 1997, finished tied for 19th, posting a score of 5-over 149. Kenny Cook, the 2011 U.S. Mid-Amateur runner-up, led the way for the Hoosier State with a 2-over 74.

Scott Lipsky is a manager of websites and digital platforms for the USGA. Email him at slipsky@usga.org.

FRENCH LICK, N.J. – Results from Tuesday’s first round of the 2014 USGA Men’s State Team Championship being conducted at the 6,891-yard, par-72 Pete Dye Course at French Lick Resort. (The two best scores out of three counts toward the team’s total for each round):